There's no guesswork required to figure out the biggest trend in smartphones this past year. Artificial intelligence led off and finished just about any conversation focused on the new phones that launched in 2024 — especially when it came to the latest models from the biggest smartphone makers.
The year began with Samsung announcing new Galaxy AI features as part of the Galaxy S24 launch and then quickly rolling out those AI-powered capabilities to other recent Samsung flagship phones. (Even the midrange Galaxy A35 features Circle to Search support, making it one of the few sub-$400 phones to offer at least some AI capabilities.) By the end of the year, Apple had gotten into the act, finally rolling out a suite of AI tools of its own. And we're not done with the Apple Intelligence launch, either, as future iOS 18 updates figure to bring other promised improvements to the latest iPhones.
